Nordic Model — Nordic Labour Journal

Nordic governments' sigh of relief as collective bargaining rights still intact

(Oct 19, 2024) Pilots and cabin crew do not perform work of equal value, thus it is not discriminatory when pilots receive higher travel allowances. This was the somewhat anticlimactic ruling from the EU Court of Justice in a case that Sweden and Denmark feared would set a precedent that could threaten the right to free collective bargaining. That did not happen this time.

Mixed Nordic reception for EU traineeship directive

(Aug 22, 2024) Once again, the European Commission is proposing regulations on matters that the member states manage best themselves, argues the Swedish parliament. It is now submitting a “yellow card” against the Commission's proposal for an EU directive on better conditions for trainees, put forward in spring 2024.

Where does the border between the EU and the Nordic region run?

(Apr 29, 2024) Right now is a fascinating time in Nordic and European politics. Rarely have so many things that affect the Nordics and their relationship with Europe been happening simultaneously. Some forces link the Nordic countries closer to each other and the EU, while at the same time, the boundaries for cooperation have become clearer.

EU labour law after the parliamentary elections

(Apr 29, 2024) What new labour legislation can we expect from the EU in the next five years? This depends as much on who becomes Commission President as on what the Parliament has on its wish list.

EU’s labour market wish list “could crash with the Nordic model”

(Apr 29, 2024) The EU Parliament has drawn up a huge wish list for the labour market. Top social democrat candidate Johan Danielsson believes it contains reasonable demands. "The Nordic region has a lot to gain from improved working and living conditions in the rest of Europe, says Danielsson.

EEA report reignites Norway’s EU debate

(Apr 29, 2024) It is nearly 30 years since Norwegians voted no to EU membership and also 30 years since Norway signed the EEA agreement. A new report on Norway in the EEA has reignited the debate about Norwegian EU membership.

Leaders' lack of knowledge about the Norwegian model threatens competitiveness

(Apr 11, 2024) Anyone who wants to lead a Norwegian business should understand the Norwegian model. But far from all leaders do, according to Ketil Vedøy, who has spent more than 20 years as a top leader within HR and management. He participated at the launch of this year’s Medbestemmelsesbarometer (Joint decision-making barometer) at OsloMet/AFI.

EU directive gives Nordic platform workers new hope

(Mar 25, 2024) The EU platform work directive is in place at last. It should help platform workers in the Nordic EU countries who work for companies like Foodora and Wolt to secure decent working conditions. In Norway, this was solved at the start of this year through a change to the working environment act.

Tripartite negotiations as a model for the green transition

(Dec 06, 2023) The fight for a just green transition is taking place in several and very different arenas. While strike guards brave the cold of winter outside Tesla workshops in Sweden and climate negotiators meet in the heat of Dubai, Nordic employers, trade unions and government ministers gathered in Reykjavik.

Can the Nordic labour markets survive the green transition?

(Dec 06, 2023) Nearly one in three Nordic citizens worry they might lose their jobs because of the green transition, according to a new Nordregio survey. How can the social partners work together to make the transition as fair as possible? That was the theme during the Nordic dialogue conference in Iceland.

Nordic employers’ important role in the green transition

(Dec 06, 2023) When we talk about the Nordic labour market model, it often revolves around how high the unionisation rate is. However, it is equally important that employers are organised if good agreements are to be made.

The Confederation of Swedish Enterprise on Nordic cooperation

(Dec 06, 2023) How does the Nordic cooperation on the employers' side look today? The Nordic Labour Journal asked the Confederation of Swedish Enterprise to answer a list of questions and got the following answers from their Press Secretary Olle Bring.

Was the Reykjavik tripartite meeting the start of something new?

(Dec 06, 2023) Did it turn into just another of the thousands of meetings around the world on the green transition? Or did something more happen as Nordic politicians, employers and trade unions met in Reykjavik on 1 December? The Icelandic Presidency had great ambitions for this meeting.

Iceland’s Labour Minister: Challenges of a fair green transition must be faced together

(Nov 06, 2023) Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson has been Iceland’s Minister of Social Affairs, Labour and Nordic Cooperation since 2021. In that role, he has led Iceland’s Presidency of the Nordic Council of Ministers this year and will chair a summit with representatives from Nordic trade unions, employers and governments in Reykjavik in December.

Denmark and Sweden on the barricades over pilots and crew compensation

(Nov 06, 2023) Denmark and Sweden are once again out defending the Nordic labour market model. This time it is about a new case before the EU Court questioning whether cabin crew receiving lower allowances than pilots constitutes gender discrimination.

Karen Ellemann – Nordic through and through

(Aug 22, 2023) The Nordic Council of Ministers’ new Secretary General takes on responsibility for the Nordic cooperation as challenges are piling up – on security policy, the environment and the Nordic model itself. But she is an incurable optimist and believes the Nordic vision can be achieved.

Scarpetta: The OECD has learned a lot from studying the Nordics

(Apr 27, 2023) Stefano Scarpetta is excited when he goes up to the podium at the start of the OECD and Nordic Council of Ministers conference in Reykjavik. "I don't know how you did it, but thank you for the fantastic northern lights that we got to experience last night!"

Nordics, Nato and the neighbourhood

(Nov 29, 2022) The Nordic Council is 70 this year, which was of course celebrated during its annual session in Helsinki. The Council President Erkki Tuomioja pointed out that parliamentarians cooperated for twenty years before the ministers got involved. In this edition, we take a closer look at the Nordic cooperation.

How unique is the Nordic Council?

(Nov 29, 2022) How unique is the Nordic cooperation, with its Nordic Council and Nordic Council of Ministers? The nearest European parallels are the Benelux Union and the Benelux Parliament. At least in one area they have taken cooperation even further. But while people in the Nordics call themselves nordbor, no one calls themselves Beneluxianian.

The labour ministers consider collective agreements' position in the Nordics

(Nov 29, 2022) The Nordic governments should introduce a new kind of support where employers who sign up to collective agreements pay lower employer taxes for their employees. That was what Fafo researcher Jon Erik Dølvik proposed when he presented a report about collective agreements in the Nordics during the Nordic labour ministers’ meeting.